Sexual and Parental Investment Flashcards
What is the advantage of internal fertilisation?
It increases the chance of fertilisation.
What is the disadvantage of internal fertilisation?
A highly advanced reproductive system is required.
What is the advantage of external fertilisation?
It requires little parental care.
What is the disadvantage of external fertilisation?
It requires a mating display.
What is the advantage of parental investment?
It increases the chance of survival for the offspring.
What is the number of offspring produced dependent on?
Environmental conditions.
What happens in a stable environment ?
A smaller number of expensive young are produced.
What happens in an unstable environment?
A large number of inexpensive offspring are produced.
Why does polygamy often involve a single male and several females?
As males have no role in feeding offspring.
What are the disadvantages of sexual reproduction?
Only half of the population can reproduce and each parent can only pass on half of their genetic code, interrupting beneficial parental genomes.
What are the advantages of sexual reproduction?
Allows for genetic variation, organisms can adapt to changing conditions, genetic variation provides raw material required for arms race against parasites.
What are the advantages of asexual reproduction?
When recolonising an area, it is beneficial as it is faster. Whole beneficial genomes are passed onto offspring.
When can asexual reproduction be successful?
When an organism’s niche is narrow and stable.
What are the disadvantages of asexual production?
Organisms are not able to adapt easily.
How can asexually reproducing organisms adapt?
By mutations.
